Sheet feeding and stacking mechanism.



S. M. LANGSTON. SHEET FEEDING AND STACKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. "I0, 19%; 1,214,1 Patented 112111.30, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

WITNESSES I l/VVENTOR N BY? %%&44M/

I TTORNEY i, S. M. LANGSTON. SHEET FEEDING AND STACKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB10,I9I5,

Patented Jan. 30, 1917.

W/TNL'SSES [NJ EN TOR raised to maintain the top of-the stack or UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL M. LANGS'ION, OF WENONAH, NEW JEBSEY, ASSIGNOB, TO SAMUEL M. LANGSTON COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 01? NEW JEnsEY.

SHEET FEEDING To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. Lanos'ron, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Wenonah, in the county of Gloucester and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet Feedingand Stacking Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to mechanism for feedlng sheets, thin boards, corrugated paper, or the like, to a machine andfoi receiving and stacking the sheets as they come from the machine. The character of the operation performed upon the sheets while passing through the machine isimmaterial as it ma involve printing, embossing, scorin per orating or the li e.

erely for purpose of illustrationand to facilitate a clear understanding'of my in vention and of the construction and operation of one embodiment thereof, I will describe-it in connection with a printing press,

but I do not desire to be in any way limited the use of My invention relates "particularly to that type of feeding mechanism in which a column or stack of sheets is disposed upon a vertically movable support which ma be the top of the stac or column at a substantiall constant level or elevation as-successive slieets are vfed from column. In in prior application, Serial No. 853,012, ed Jul 25, 1914, I have illustrated and claimed a s eet .feeding mechanism in which a stack is automatically raised each time a sheet is 'fe'dtherefrom and for a distance' substantially equal to the thickness of thesheet so as to maintain the top of the column at an approximately constant elevation. This necessitates a readjustment of the machine each time sheets of a different thickness are to be fed.

One object of myjpresentinvention is to automatically govern or control the stack elevating mechanism so that the top of the stack or column may be automatically maintained at the desired elevation, irrespective of variations inthe thickness of the stock.

In its preferred embodiment, this 'mechanism, involves detachable connections be and the elevating tween the source"bf power mechanism, per .se, and means controlled Specification of Letters Patent.

stacking anns'ra'cxme uncnamsm.

' Patented Jan.30,1917.

Application and February 10, 1915. Serial No. 7,243.

by the height ofthe top of the column for rendering the said connections operative or inoperative Thus, as successive sheets are fed from the top of the stack at a uniform rate, the support for the stack will rise at such times and at such rates as may be necessary for insuring the top of the stack at the proper elevation in respect to the receiving portion of the machine.

A further important feature involves the automatic controlling of the lowering of the support for the stack at the delivery'end of the machine at a rate dependent upon the rate of accumulation of the sheets upon said stack. As the sheets come from the machine, they areautomatically piled up in a stack on a vertically movable support and this support is lowered at a constant or variable rate, as occasion may demand, in order that the to V of the stack may always bear the desire relationship to the. delivery mechanism of the machine.

I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention inconnectionwith a machine having'a sta, k elevating mechanism invented by me and constituting the subject matter of my prior application, Serial No. 853,012, filed July 25,1914, and in the same inachine I have illustrateda controller or gage be used in connection with various other forms of sheet feeding, controlling and mechanisms. I desire the specific-machine, shown in the accompanying, drawings, to be considered in an illustrative, rather than in a limiting sense. Reference is to be had to these drawings in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the several views and in which,

Figure 1, is a side'elevathnfof a machine constructed in accordance with my inven tion, Fig.2 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the machine shown in Fig. l and with partsbroken shectsof paper may 10 12 of. the machine, rests-upon 20 wheel 26 30 direction;

35 tion may bevaried.

40 wheel 9 .by{ a pair of intermeshing bevel aw-ay, an d Fig. 3jis a 1-)erspeetive viewof a POIftIODYOf the machine includ ng the eire 'n't closer.

I have illustrated my invention in eonnec tion w th a printing press having type and 1. between which be fed -fr o1n asupply stack A to a receiving staek B. The supply stack'A of sheets to be fed to the feed rollers a suitable. support in the form of a pair of bars 13. and cables 14 and extend from the end of these bars over pulleys 16 and 17 to one or more; winding drunis IN on a shaft 11).

inipressiol'i rollers and l Power is transmitted from the shaft of the impresshm roller 11 by a chain 20 to a shaft 21 carrying a. crank arm 2:2. A rod Zileonneets the crank arm to a sha ft 25. The shaft also carries a ratchet and a hand wheel 27 and the lever 24 carries a pawl engaging with the ratchet wheel. The shalt of (-.;\1im1er 11 is continuously rotated at a uni l'orifn speed and causes the rod 23 to reeiproeate and th leve i 25 or arm '-lto wing:- bar-h 'aml. forl-fh. 'Ihe,

pawl. m en g aanng with the ratchet wheel :26. causes rotation of the sha ft 25' when movin in one direetioira nl permits the shaft at rest when moving inthe reverse.

tommain The. range of nn'ivement of the pawl may be varied by \varym r the eccenarm 22 and the rod 23. The shaft 25 is thus intermittently rotated but its rate of rot-a- Snitahle gear mechanism is'employed for.transmitting this inter'm-itt'ent rotation from the shaft 25 to 'the For; instance. the shaft winding drlim 18.

'25 may have. a worm engaging with a worm 'mountedf on the shaft 31 and the latter may transmitmotionj to theshaft '19 gears. By means'of this mechanismzall'of which was clea'j'ly disclosed in my prior appliea.tio'n, Serial No. 853,0 12QI am able to secure a very slowfrotatlon of the cable '\\'1nd1 ng drums andthe'slow elevation of th'e'stack. The feeding mechanism is [illustratedas includ ng a swinging arm 33; pivotally p0 mounted at thenpper end of-a standard 34 eme-nt otacam and swung bythe enga'g with the end of'zan. arm.

1 axe-ri id with the arm 33. The arm 33 at hine, A l I I. am able toflya'ry the rate ofls'taok elevatingmowment m respect to the rate of opertl1e' feedi-ng rollers 12 of: the maati'on ofthemaehine and-theram at which,

the sheets are fed from'tlie top of the stack.

by varying the eccentrieityi of the point of connection of the arm 122"and rod23. A staek iof sheets pf uni-formathickn'ess may amtal'ned with thetep 'ata. constant elechine a lever. 24 pi voted on able within,

' roller in moving up and elevation of a pair of gagemembers' 49vand v its lower end cz'i'rries.- a hooker cateh37" which. engages with the" 56 rear edge of the top sheet and advances it toward than the contact member 57 w; l

- -\'atioi1, but experienceshows that sheets of various different thicknesses which necessitates a change in the adjustment of the mafor each-kind .of sheet. Bymeans' of my present invention, I am able' to automatirally govern the relativerates of rotation 0f the winding drums and the impression rollers and'thns automatically maintain the. desired elevation of the top sheet irrespec tire/o1" variations in; the thicknesses of sheets. in a 'si-ngle'stack and irrespective of complete changes in thecharaeter of thestock and thicknesses of thesheets being fed. 'lo, secure this result, I provide an eleetro-magneit 40 on an extension of the lever or arm 2t and adjacent to the pawl 28 and so form the pawland magnet that when the magnet is energized it will lift the pawl and hold it out ofengagement with the ratchet wheel and permit the lever 24 to swing back and forth in either direction without effecting any rotation of the ratchet wheel. When the .eircuit is broken. the pawl may drop back into engagement with the ratchet and,

will rotate the latter when moving 111 0110 direction andslip over, the teeth when m'ov- 'ing in the opposite direction' For makin'gand breaking the cir'cni I may {provide any one of-varlous'difie ent forms. of circuit closers operated or con- .vice vertically movable with va riationsvin the elevation of the top of the stack. This mechanism includes a rod 45 "ertically movadapted to rest Incidentally this down varies the its lower endra roller- :48 upon the'top of the stack.

50. and-the gage members and rollerare feounterbalanced by a weight 51; connectedto the yertically movable rod and the parts supported thereby by a cable 52 a pulley 53. The roller 49 and rod 45' rise and'fallt with variations in, the elevation of guides 46 and 47 and having at passing'over,

theitop sheet, and I utilize this movement vfor controlling the electric circuit of the electro magnet.

As shown, I mount on a frame member 55 of the machine, a pivoted contact member 56 in the path of a contact member57 car-- 'ried by and insulated from the rod 45, The I contact member 57 is normally below the contact-member 56; and the latter is free to -moife vertically a limited distance with the contact'member 57,. If the. feeding mechanism- -be' o crating to raise the stack faster .e j w t eets are beinfrfed therefromfthe V I am contactmember 56 and thus close the electric circuit of the magnet 40. This will raise the pawl 28 out of engagement with the ratchet chine itse wheel 26 and the vertical movement bf the,

stack support will .be interrupted. I The-operation of the mechanism for feedingsheets from the top of thecolumnvwill not "be interrupted nor will the operation of malf. As soon pasta suflicient number of sheets have been-fed ofifroin thertop of the'column so as to lower the level to such a point that thecotitaotniember 57 no longer engageswith vthejrcontactIii'eniber 56, the circult will.brokers;the pawl QS will be, re-

leased, and the "slow eleYflilig of *the stack support will again-begin; way the top of the stac Yis'held'w thinwery narrow limits at all times and'it is unnecessary for the workman or attendant to pay any atten-.

tion 3 to the. operation of this 7 portion of the machine:

- .Althou'gh 1 hate shoggnthe connection between the crank' armbeing adjustable so. asto vary 28 intoTandout'of operative POSitIOIL As a further feature of my inventlon,,:-I substantially duplicate the support forthestack A" atthe delivery end of the machine and ntilize'it forv supporting a stack B o ffthe sheets delivered from the machine. .The support is in the form of two rods connected by cables 61- and 62 passing over suitable pulleys 64 to one or more. winding support for the stack-B at the samerate and to the same extent. a As each sheet removed from the stack A eventually reaches the top of the stack B, it is evident that variations. in the elevation of the top of one stack will and the rod 23 as l he: eof

feed, it'yis evident that this ad ustment may be eliminated; andthe variation-in the rate of feedsecured solely by. moving the pawl I drums "63. The. win-ding. Y 63 a s preferably made substantially correspond to "variations in: the elevation of 'the'top of the other stack, and as the stack elevatingmechamsmsg are connected to cg era'te simultaneously, it is evident that t 1 making and breakingof the circuit will control the loweringof the stack'B. It is also evident that the mechwnism for rotating the winding drums'may be connected to and act directly upon,the shaft of the drum 63 in-' stead of the shaft of the drumul8 and that the circuit closer instead of. being mounted adjacent to and'controlled by the position ofthe top of the stack A, may be mounted adjacent to and controlled by of the top of the stack B.

g 65 the position Various other changes maybe made in the positioning and construction of my improved attachment, and the attachment may be employed in connection with) various other formsof stack elevating and lowering mechanism from'that shown.

Ha-vfing thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters :Patent,'is:]

Incombinat on, a stack support, a ratchet wheel andsaid sup'port for raising the latter upon the r'otationr of said ratchet wheel in one directiom-oscillating means for feeding sheets from said stack, a pivoted arm, a pawl carried by said arm and adapted to engage with said ratchet 'wheel, a link connectedto said arm, means operating in conjunction with said oscillating feeding means ffwlieel, connections 1 between said ratchet to oscillate said link and pawl, means for varying the range of movement of said link and pawl in respect to the range of movement of said feeding means, an electromagnet carried by said arm adjacent to said pawl and adapted when; energized to hold said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, and means controlled by the elevation of the top of the stack for controlli the circuit of saidelectroma et.

igned'at New York city in 't e county of New York and State of New York this 9th day of February A. D. 1915:.

l SAMUEL M. LANGSTON.

Witnesses v CLAIR FAIRBANK. FmRnNon LEVIEN. 

